Rifle Sling

ABSTRACT

A rifle sling for attachment to a rifle. The sling has forward and rearward ends, with each end having an attachment proximate thereto for removably attaching its respective end to the rifle. Interposed between the two ends of the sling is a two-piece snap-engagement buckle clasp including a female receptacle member and a male latch member for mating engagement with the female receptacle member. The male latch member includes at least one arm member for releasable locking engagement with the female receptacle member upon insertion of the arm member of the male latch member into the female receptacle member. The sling may have padding and may have an adjustment buckle for adjusting the length of the sling.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO COMPACT DISC(S)

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates, in general, to apparatus used in the sport of hunting and in particular, to slings for a rifle used in the sport of turkey hunting.

2. Information Disclosure Statement

Rifle slings and straps, such as slings for carrying a rifle over a hunter's shoulder, are well-known. The rifle sling is often made of webbing or leather, and has a first end and a second end, often with well-known attachment means such as clips or fasteners, one at each of the ends of the sling, for attaching the sling to a rifle's stock and barrel. Typically the rifle sling is adjustable and may have adjustment buckles for adjusting the length of the sling so as to suit the hunter and to be of proper length for the hunter's rifle, and the strap of the rifle sling may have a well-known padding for comfort where the sling passes over the hunter's shoulder.

A rifle sling is typically only used while transporting the rifle to a hunting location, and may be removed from the rifle, as by operating the attachment means at the ends of the sling, to disconnect the sling from the rifle so that the sling does not interfere with operation of the rifle during hunting.

When hunting fowl such as ducks or geese, the hunter typically will be stationery in a hunting blind for a long time, and the hunter thus has a long time to disconnect the sling from the rifle and prepare for firing the rifle at the ducks or geese.

Turkey hunting presents a challenge to the hunter because of the incredibly keen eyesight of wild turkeys, which is why turkey hunting is such an exciting sport. Rather than being stationary in a hunting blind and waiting for the turkey to come to the hunter, the experienced hunter walks about through the hunting area, making turkey noises using a turkey call. When the turkey hunter hears a responsive gobble from a wild turkey, the hunter needs to immediately sit on the ground with his rifle resting on his knees, remaining perfectly still so that the turkey does not become alarmed, and wait for the turkey to come closer into range as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. There is not time, when hunting wild turkeys, to disconnect a prior art sling S from the rifle, and the sling, being connected to the rifle, interferes with the hunter's aim, by catching on the hunter's knees, as the rifle is swung from right to left over the hunter's knees.

It is therefore desirable to have an improved rifle sling for use during hunting of wild turkeys that does not impede movement of a rifle from left to right over the knees of a seated hunter during turkey hunting, yet which operates as in the usual manner as a rifle sling prior to seating of the hunter, and which permits the hunter to quickly go from carrying the rifle while walking to aiming the rifle while seated.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an improved rifle sling having a “quick release” buckle intermediate the forward and rearward ends of the sling and proximate the forward end of the sling. This permits the ends of the sling to remain attached to the rifle yet allows the sling to be quickly separated into two parts so as not to impede a seated hunter from swinging the rifle back and forth over the hunter's knees.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved rifle sling that quickly separates into forward and rearward parts while the forward and rearward ends of the sling remain attached to the rifle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a view of a seated hunter holding a rifle with a prior art rifle sling attached to the rifle.

FIG. 2 is a view of a seated hunter holding a rifle with the improved rifle sling of the present invention attached to the rifle and separated into forward and rearward parts.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the forward end of the improved rifle sling of the present invention, showing the separation of the quick release buckle.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a rifle with the improved rifle sling of the present invention attached to the rifle.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the improved rifle sling of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the improved rifle sling of the present invention, similar to FIG. 5 but with the quick release buckle separated.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the improved rifle sling of the present invention, taken substantially along the line 7-7 shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 2-7, the improved rifle sling 20 can now be described in detail. The sling 20 has a forward end 22 and a rearward end 24, with each of forward and rearward ends 22, 24 having attachment means 26 proximate ends 22, 24 for removably attaching the respective end 22 or 24 to a well-known rifle R as used by a hunter H during turkey hunting.

Attachment means 26 is well-known, and includes fasteners such as “S-hooks”, clips with leaf-spring latches, and the like, or preferably may be a well-known swivel attachment such as preferred attachment means 26 sold as the product “Uncle Mike's QD Super Swivel with Tri-Lock” by Bushnell Outdoor Products, 9200 Cody, Overland Park, Kans. 66214-1734. The well-known preferred attachment means 26 has a knurled knob 28 that is threadedly received onto a shaft 30 of attachment means 26. When knob 28 is screwed counterclockwise as to be remote from the body of attachment means 26, it allows spring-loaded shaft 30 to be moved along its axis, thereby moving sidewall 32 away from the body of attachment means 26 and then permitting sidewall 32 to be rotated ninety degrees about the axis of shaft 30 as shown in dotted outline in FIGS. 3, 5, and 7, so that stationary pin 34 of attachment means 26 can be entrappingly attached to or removed from rings or clips 36 of rifle R.

As with prior art slings, sling 20 may and preferably does have a well-known foam pad 38 affixed thereto as by sewing, and sling 20 may also and preferably does have well-known adjustment buckles 40, 41 for adjusting the length of the sling so as to suit the hunter H and also to enable the sling 20 to be of proper length for the hunter's rifle R.

In contrast to the prior art, and as an improvement over the prior art, sling 20 includes a two-piece snap-engagement buckle clasp 42, also known as a “quick release buckle” or, for some embodiments, a “side release buckle”, interposed between the forward and rearward ends 22, 24 of sling 20, thereby permitting sling 20 to be quickly separated into forward and rearward sling parts 44, 46 when buckle clasp 42 is separated. This permits the sling 20 to function as a prior art sling during transport of the rifle R by the hunter H, yet, when turkey's gobble is heard, allows the hunter H to immediately sit on the ground and quickly separate the forward and rearward sling parts 44, 46 so that the sling does not catch on the hunter's knees as the rifle is swung from side to side over the seated hunter's knees, as seen best in FIG. 2.

Buckle clasp 42 is well-known in other contexts not involving being combined with rifle slings, and suitable buckle clasps are shown in Frano et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,279 (issued Jun. 29, 1993) and Lovato, U.S. Pat. Des. 341,105 (issued Nov. 9, 1993), both fully included herein by reference. Another preferred buckle clasp 42 is shown in the drawings, sold as item AM 4733-1″ under the brand name ANMCO by Dongguan Anmei Industry Investment Co., Ltd., 1st Industrial Park, Dongcheng Science & Technology Zone, Dongguan, Guangdong, China 523000.

The preferred structure of such buckle clasps 42 is that they include at least two pieces, namely, a female receptacle member 48 and a male latch member 50 for mating engagement with female receptacle member 48. Male latch member 50 includes at least one arm member 52 and preferably a second arm member 54 for releasable locking engagement with female receptacle member 50 upon insertion of the arm member(s) into female receptacle member 50, as by locking engagement of latch shoulders 56, 58 with the inside of female receptacle member 48. Buckle clasp 42 is quickly and readily released by pressing side or lateral protrusion portions 60, 62 inwardly into buckle clasp 42 so that latch shoulders 56, 58 disengage from the inside of female receptacle member 48. Some buckle clasps 48 may have an additional latch catch 64 that engages into a slot 66 of female receptacle member 48, and latch catch 64, extending from a tongue 68 of male latch member 50, disengages from female receptacle member 48 when button 70, also mounted on tongue 68, is depressed simultaneously with the pressing of protrusion portions 60, 62.

To use the improved rifle sling 20 of the present invention, the hunter walks through a hunting area carrying rifle R and making turkey noises using a turkey call in a manner well-known to hunters skilled in the art, with sling 20 being attached to rifle R and with male latch member 50 and female receptacle member 48 being lockingly engaged. Upon hearing a responsive gobble from a wild turkey, the hunter immediately sits on the ground and releases the male latch member 50 from female receptacle member 48, thereby quickly separating forward and rearward sling parts 44, 46 from each other while still remaining attached to rifle R, thereby allowing hunter H to swing the rifle right and left over the hunter's knees without sling 20 catching on the hunter's knees.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a preferred embodiment and a preferred use therefore, it is not to be so limited since modifications and changes can be made therein which are within the full intended scope of the invention. 

1. An improved rifle sling for attachment to a rifle, said sling having a forward end and a rearward end, each of said forward and rearward ends having attachment means proximate thereto for removably attaching its respective said end to said rifle, wherein the improvement of said rifle sling comprises: a two-piece snap-engagement buckle clasp interposed between said forward and said rearward ends, said buckle clasp including a female receptacle member and a male latch member for mating engagement with said female receptacle member, said male latch member including at least one arm member for releasable locking engagement with said female receptacle member upon insertion of said at least one arm member into said female receptacle member.
 2. An improved rifle sling attached to a rifle, said sling having a forward end and a rearward end, each of said forward and rearward ends having attachment means proximate thereto removably attaching its respective said end to said rifle, wherein the improvement of said rifle sling comprises: a two-piece snap-engagement buckle clasp interposed between said forward and said rearward ends, said buckle clasp including a female receptacle member and a male latch member for mating engagement with said female receptacle member, said male latch member including at least one arm member for releasable locking engagement with said female receptacle member upon insertion of said at least one arm member into said female receptacle member. 